Mindfulness Meditation · Intention
This week’s meditation session is led by Tracy Cochran and the theme is Intention.
Bodhisattva Suryabaskara; China or Inner Mongolia; 18th century; Ground mineral pigment on cotton; 47 5/8 × 19 in. (estimated); Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; C2006.66.136
Standing with his right hand in front of his heart, this 18th-century depiction of Bodhisattva Suryabaskara holds a lotus flower that extends and blooms over his right shoulder. Within the flower rests an orange sun referencing this bodhisattva’s name, which translates to the sun’s rays. The defining feature of a bodhisattva is the intention to become enlightened so that he or she can help all other beings become enlightened. Therefore practice is not complete unless the practitioner keeps this intention in mind and realizes that ultimately the benefits are for others and not for oneself.
Tracy Cochran has been a student and teacher of meditation and spiritual practice for decades. She is the founder of the Hudson River Sangha. In addition to offering meditation online, Tracy has taught mindfulness meditation and mindful writing at the Rubin Museum and the New York Insight Meditation Center, as well as in schools, corporations, and other venues worldwide. She is also a writer and the editorial director of Parabola, an acclaimed quarterly magazine that seeks to bring timeless spiritual wisdom to the burning questions of the day.
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